Ship hull construction



Dec 15, 1931. R. F. SMITH 1,837,078

SHIP HULL CONSTRUCTION Filed April 25, 19 29 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 7 7 1 l I a I 9' I I J0 m L 7 .Z a. k l I l I j INVENTOR Az'rfiard F (5 722 22% ATTORNEY R. F. SMITH 1,837,078

SHIP HULL CONSTRUCTION Filed April 23, 1929 2 Sheets-.Shet 2 WITNESS INVENTOR Bar/5474 1 1901215 ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 15, 1931' UNITED STATES" PATENT OFFICE v RICHARD F. SMITH,-OF CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, or ONE-FOURTH T0 RAYMOND D. SULLIV N, or ron'rs- MOUTH, VIRGINIA, AND ONE-HALF T0 CHARLESTON DRY DOCK AND MACHINE COMPANY, OF CHARLESTON, SOUTH LINA Application filed April 23,

My invention relates to ships and more particularly to an improved hull construc-' tion whereby the usual transverse frame members and longitudinal beams are united without the use of rivets or other similar fastenings.

An object of the invention is to provide a ship hull construction having lock joints between the transverse frame members and the longitudinal beams whereby the transverse frame members will be drawn into correct position and held in this position upon assembling the beams therewith.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved lock joint between the transverse frames and longitudinal members which may be quickly assembled by the workmen and subsequently spot welded to hold the parts in properrelation. I a A still further ob'ect of the invention is to provide an improved ship hull construction in which a series of peripheral openings in each of a. plurality of transverse frames are arranged to match longitudinally and to sustain connecting rods that are of a length to reach from stemto stern of the ship so that the chief effort of the workman will be to slide them longitudinally, in getting them in place. 7

It is another object of the invention to provide a ship hull construction which in addition to rendering the hull lighter in weight than ships of modern construction provides a more rugged structure at a minimum cost.

With the preceding and other objects and advantages in mind, the invention consists in the novel combination of elements, constructions and arrangements of parts andoperations to be hereinafter more fully described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure l is a side elevation of a ship constructed in accordance with my invention and having one of its side walls thereof partly broken away;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section taken on line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspectiveof one of the improved transverse frame members;

Fig. 4 is a perspective of one of the longi- CAROLINA, A CORPORATION OF SOUTH CARO- I r j SHIP HULL CONSTRUCTION 1929. Serial No. 357,586.

tudinal beams for assembly with the frame disclosed in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective of the hull and illustrating the longitudinal beams assembled with one of the transverse frame members;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective of a modified embodiment of the transverse frame member;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary perspective of a longitudinal beam for use with the frame member disclosed in Fig. 6; and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary detail view partly in Section and partly in elevation of the parts disclosed in Figs. 6 and 7 in assembled relation.

Referring to the invention in detail and particularly to the structure disclosed in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive a ship hull 5 whosev skeleton frame is made up of a plurality of spaced transverse frame members 10 and longitudinal bars 11 is provided.

For the purpose of uniting the frame members 10 and bars 11 without the use of rivets and other Similar fastenings I provide an improved lock joint at predetermined points along each of the longitudinal bars and the outer edge of each transverse frame member. The joint consists of a slot 12 in the transverse frame member which opens upon the outer edge of the latter and is of This notch 13 is of such depth as to-permit the beam to lie within the slot 12 withthe outer longitudinal edge of the bar flushwith her. 1

After the bars 11 are assembled with the transverse frame members each lock joint is spot welded as at 17. It will be observed that in assembling the bars with the transverse frame members the opposed walls of the notches 13 will engage the opposite faces a length. corresponding to the width of the the outer edge of the transverse frame memof the frame members and draw the same into parallelism and retain them in this position at all times. Thus warping of the skeleton frame is eliminated.

In Figs. 6 to 8 inclusive a modification of the lock joint is disclosed. In this form of the invention the lock joint consists of an i elongated opening which is slightly longer than the width of the bar as particularly illustrated in Fig. 8. In this instance the notch 13 is in the outer longitudinal edge of the bar and is of such depth as to bring the outer edge of the bar flush with the outer edge of the transverse frame member. The bar is slid longitudinally through the elongated opening 15 until the notch '13 is in registration with the end walls ofthe opening. At this time the bar is shifted laterally in an outwarddir ection to interlock the notch with the outer end wall of the opening.

.After the parts are interlocked as above stated they are secured in place by spot welding 15. It is pointed out that with this embodiment of the invention the bars 11 are easy to handle. That is to say, the weight of the bars is sustained by the walls of the elongated opening 15 and no other manual exertion'is necessary than to shift the bars laterally to cause the lock joint to interlock The usual shell plating 16 extends around the skeleton frame and as disclosed in Fig. 5 the individual plates lie upon the outer edges of the bars 11. The adjacent ends of t lzlese plates are welded to the beams as at 1 The operation isas follows :In the erection of the hull of a boat the successive transverse frames 10 are stood in the approximate spaced positions andtemporarily held there either by bars running along the tops or by deck plating. Although these transverse frames are usually rather heavy they are,

nevertheless so comparatively flimsy that a workman taking hold of one of them can sway them with utmost ease.

In order to at once fix these transverse frames so firmly that absolutely no swaying they are first accurately developed in the shop, in other words, the notches13 (Fig. 4)

are first located and cut with that accuracy that will insure the perfectly upright and unwavering anchoring of the transverses 10 when the longitudinal beams' 11 are set in bars 11 in place the welder will temporarily secure the joint by tack-welding at each pair of slots 12, 13. Each of the longitudinals is treated in this way until all are tacked in place. Final welding is a subsequent operation.

Another point of note is that bulkheads are connected in the assemblage just as are the transverse frames 10. In other words, there are no breaks in the longitudinal bars 11 even for bulkheads. By making the longitudinal bars continuous from stem to stern it follows that the accurately located notches 13 will be an infallible gauge to the erect positioning of the transverse frames 10. The result is a mutual holding of the transverse frame 10 and longitudinal bars 11. One secures the other in place so that the subsequent welding does not become a matter of conjecture, making it uncertain whether the workman will tack-weld exactly at the right point.

Substantially the same procedure is followed when erecting a ship. hull according to themodification in Figures 6, 7 and 8. The additional advantage previously brought out, is that the bars 11 are sustained in the longitudinally matching openings 15 while the workman shoves the bar along until it is fully in place. This relieves much of the effort in lifting the bar into position so that the assembling can be done with a fewer number of workmen.

From this it will be understood that the invention also involves a novel method in the erection of ship hulls. It must be borne in mind that the various transverse frames 10 and longitudinal bars are comparatively heavy. It is obvious that these members are individually heavier as the size of the ship whose hull they comprise parts of increases. Yet notwithstanding the weight of the frames and bars they are capable of being fitted together in a rather temporary manner until the joints are tack-welded to impart a necessary measure ofinitial security.

- The method thereby involves the fitting together of the various transverse frames 10 and the longitudinal bars 11 from stem to stern for an initial mutual support, whereupon tack-weldin is resorted to to hold the parts together. When the entire hull is thus put together, the joints are finish-welded in a subsequent operation.

What is claimed is:

1. In a ship hull construction, a plurality of transverse frames each having a series of openings adjoining the outer edge and defining webs, and a plurality of bars extending full-length from stem to stern of the ship, being reeved through the longitudinally matching openings and having notches to fit Ell) over the webs to bring the outer edges of the frames and bars flush.

'2. In a ship hull construction, a plurality of transverse frames each having a series of openings adjoining the outer edge and defining Webs, a plurality of bars extending fulllength from stem to stem of the ship, being reeved through the longitudinally matching openings and having notches to fit over the Webs to bring the outer edges of the frames and bars flush, and welds to secure the joints between the frames and bars.

- F. SMITH,

RICHARD 

